Lisa Martin talks about how and why AI is turning celebrity voices into the hottest new digital assets

BBC, baby! I had the privilege of being a guest on the live BBC Business Today program talking with anchor Mark Lobel about the voice AI industry and why it's experiencing a seismic shift!  

Mark asked great questions during our 4-minute segment and, as I explained, the voice AI market...it's crazy! It's exploding right now because of some really big tech breakthroughs. For example, if we look at the raw tech, we've seen recent improvements in things like natural language processing, machine learning, and also emotional intelligence. These are all allowing voice AI systems to operate with near-human accuracy, even in noisy or complex environments. Also, we're experiencing faster, low-latency processing, and that enables the conversation with AI to be much more natural and responsive. So, basically, it feels like you're having a really human conversation...way more than ever before. Have you ever chatted with a Sesame personal agent? It's wild!

Mark started off our segment by showing a video of Sir Michael Caine, who is just one of many other Oscar-winning celebs, like Matthew McConaughey (alright, alright, alright), who are licensing their voices to AI companies like ElevenLabs. Basically, AI is turning celebrity voices into the hottest new digital assets, as celeb voices become highly valuable, lucrative, and protected digital assets.

The reasons these celebs are doing this are three-fold: money, control, and creativity. 

• Money - Licensing allows for new, recurring revenue streams without re-recording every word.

• Control - Official deals help prevent unauthorized AI clones and protect their brand.

• Creativity - Digital voices can be used for interactive fan experiences and multilingual performances, breaking geographical barriers. McConaughey is doing this already with his newsletter "Lyrics of Livin".

As I shared on the program, I think these digital voices are set to power a wave of new AI-driven experiences across entertainment and media, marketing and branding, and voice assistants and apps. We're already seeing it. Personally, I would like my navigation system to be in the voice of the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten!

But, it's not just ElevenLabs that's breaking into this (show) business. Meta has also enlisted voices from Dame Judi Dench, John Cena, and Kristen Bell for its own AI platforms, which signals that we may be seeing mainstream acceptance of the trend.

This trend is only going to get hotter, but it does have implications for actors, audio rights, and the future of voice work. I think we'll see contract changes where tighter union rules and contracts are needed to define digital voice usage, “digital likeness,” ownership, and explicit consent.

We'll also see job disruption. Remember the Tilly Norwood controversy? Routine voice work may become automated, which will create new competition for human actors. I'm not a fan of this, as my nephew, Zach, is an aspiring, trained actor in Hollywood. But, the good news is that emotional authenticity will still require human talent.

Going forward, I do think we'll see more of this AI-celeb collaboration and the creation of many more "digital personalities". We're definitely witnessing a turning point that will reshape both entertainment and technology for years to come.

Key Takeaways

• Voice AI is rapidly advancing thanks to improvements in natural language processing, machine learning, and emotional intelligence

• Celebrity voices are becoming valuable digital assets, signaling a major new market trend

• AI-celeb collaborations are mainstreaming thanks to innovation from companies like ElevenLabs and Meta

• This trend will require new contracts, union rules, and ethical guidelines around voice rights, ownership, and consent